I can’t believe it took me this long to get to anime ships! Ships are one of those topics that’ll spawn numerous discussions (like #bestgirl or favorite selections). We, as fans, get so involved in the lives of these fictional characters. We devote wishes and feelings to their relationships.
I feel like it is necessary to lay down some ground rules for what “ship” means to me. So, when I talk about anime ships, I’m limiting myself to non-canonically confirmed romantic relationships. One could include friendships, but I’ve previously covered friendships in anime that mean something to me. For that reason, I won’t include friendships in my ship list. The other aspect is the non-canon part. To my belief, when a ship becomes canon that makes the characters a couple. And a couple is different from a ship. Lastly, I’ll confine myself to events as they occur in the anime – so no additional information from light novels or manga.
Anime Ships – time to #shipitsaturday
At the same time, a ship is a pairing that we wish to see succeed. We treat it like a real-life water fairing ship being christened and sent out to sea – all the best wishes and good thoughts that it’ll flourish. Since it isn’t a canonically confirmed relationship, it still has this possibility of are-they-or-aren’t-they. It is like a tease that only the creator knows the answer to our curiosity. That is the quality I find most intriguing – will they or won’t they, sink or float.
Warning – Let me give you my usual spiel about limiting spoilers to the absolute minimum. However, we are talking about ships and details around them can be as delicate as those regarding character deaths. I want to share a bit of the love and enthusiasm with you even knowing there may be a spoiler in here.
Anime Ships – Diane & King
From the outset, anyone can see the great affection King has for Diane. Yet, all of Diane’s attention falls on Meliodas. In a flashback, we see how King’s feelings grew while he took care of Diane for 500 years. In a sweet moment, King tells Diane that he’ll grant her any wish she wants. Diane wishes to stay together forever. Despite that promise, Diane’s memories are lost. The feelings are complicated by Diane’s amnesia and infatuation with Meliodas. We must wonder if King will ever gain the courage to admit what he feels. Will fate or timing interfere with his love for Diane?
Anime Ships – Otabek & Yurio
Some ships launch in the night. It subverts expectations entirely. That’s how I feel with Otabek & Yurio. There’s only a silver of flashback to see where they first met. After that, it is up to Otabek saving Yurio from a group of fans. Following that moment, Yurio’s icy exterior begins to crack and a friendship forms. The ship sets sail in Yurio’s “Welcome to the Madness” exhibition skate. There is just too much tension there to ignore.
Anime Ships – Blake & Yang
Ships can occur as an attraction of opposites. In the case of Blake & Yang, we see the night courting the day – darkness and sunshine. As members of the same team, they find plenty of opportunity to develop trust and chemistry. Leveraging their strengths and weakness balances both as individuals and as teammates. This shows up in that they have the desire to help the other but how they accomplish that is so wildly different. It takes a separation, then a coming together to find a reconciliation. Individuals navigate in separate ways, even when they seemingly love one another. Helping your partner find happiness should be of paramount importance even when someone makes a mistake or goes a route you aren’t expecting.
Anime Ships – Kuroyukihime & Haruyuki
Distance between people (whether real or imagined) is a hurtle to ships finding safe seas to travel. There are moments when Haruyuki is 30 centimeters (that’s less than a foot) from Kuroyukihime and connected to her Neuro Linker. To Haruyuki that is a distance he cannot cross; to Kuroyukihime that is an intimate level of closeness. There is a lack of communication between them. One expects to be a pawn while the other expects to develop a partner. I guess it is like leaving harbor. The ship needs to take its time navigating. With humans it is harder because there isn’t a process one can follow to reach safe waters. The relationship takes time to develop.
“If you have chemistry, you only need one other thing – timing. But timing is a b****.” – Robin Scherbatsky
Fate, tension, chemistry, timing, and distance – these all play a role in finding and nurturing love. We want these anime ships to sail into the peaceful sunsets on the horizons. These are just the ones on my mind. What anime ships do you captain? What are some that you can’t get behind? Please leave a comment here or touch base with me via my social media (Facebook – Twitter – Instagram).
Featured image: Funimation (I really wanted to use this gif for my featured image – go total meta…a ship on a ship)
